Gender no bar says Radhika Aggarwal, CBO & Co-Founder, ShopClues

Women's Day seeks to celebrate women's achievements, as well as act as a catalyst for change when it comes to gender equality. Women in the corporate world have come a long way. As employees, their achievements are equally commendable as that of men.

TimesJobs spoke to Radhika Aggarwal, CBO & Co-Founder, ShopClues about her journey where she talked everything right form her success mantra to the challenges that exists in the corporate world. Here’s the highlight:

1. How would you describe your career journey? It’s been wonderful. We faced the challenges and reaped benefits. When we launched ShopClues in 2011, we wanted to create an online marketplace that reflected the offline buying behavior of an Indian. We co-founded this online marketplace from a basement in Gurugram and today, we are a strong 1,100-member team working towards a common goal. Within a span of just six years, ShopClues has become a household name serving more than 31,500 pin codes with over 2.8 crores listed products. Needless to say, this journey has been great so far.

2. How many roles have you played in your career? How did you manage to multitask and ace in the race of male-dominated work culture?It has a lot to do with passion and just focusing on your goals regardless of your gender. The gender issues and biases will always hover around you like an omnipresent barrier. You have to face it and let your passion drive you. In my case, my father, an ex-Army officer-turned-entrepreneur has been my inspiration and I try to follow his path. At a very early age, I figured out the art of effortlessly switching roles as a daughter, wife, mother, friend and professional. Because of army background, I’ve had varied life experiences from across the country and these have helped me don multiple hats effortlessly. I have switched from being an executive to a manager, from a team lead to an entrepreneur.

3. What are your future plans? I have always believed that if you have a great team, success will come. For me, enabling the team to have a hands-on approach with ability to take decision are key. Team empowerment is the best sign of a successful organisation. We want to be the preferred online marketplace / website for all living beyond metropolitan and Tier I cities. Breaking traditional markets and going to Tier II, III, IV & beyond has been our single-minded focus and we have been the pioneers in this aspect. We want to see Bharat leading in the e-commerce market. Currently, 70% of our customers are from the Tier II to Tier IV and beyond and we want to penetrate deeper in these regions. And this can be achieved with tenacious teamwork.

4. As a woman employee, have you been able to change the convention towards women employees across your industry/ organisation? The best way I deal with this is to avoid gender-based discrimination in the first place. At ShopClues, we empower a good worker and we provide equal opportunities that can help maximise potential. If you're an able worker, gender doesn't even come into the picture. At ShopClues, we have women leading our vibrant community of merchant partners. Our women employees know I have their back, and that they are at par with our male employees, with many of them in the leadership team.

5. What was your approach to breaking the taboos of the society?I just did what I had to do. I have broken many glass ceilings without consciously giving it a thought. Taboos towards women have been prevalent for ages and are completely man-made and political. We just need to take things in our hands and stand by our convictions, no matter what. Every step we take towards achieving our goals is one step closer to breaking these archaic stereotypes. Like I said, I personally don’t encourage extra accolades to a woman employee just because she’s a woman and has achieved something. I treat all my employees as equals, gender no bar.

6. Does being a woman really makes any difference in the corporate world?Not to me in any way. It’s just how you perceive yourself to this world and how passionate and well-informed you are about your business. By taking your work very seriously you can change perceptions in this business. However, I can’t overlook the fact that hundreds of women who do face gender discrimination despite doing their best.

7. Do we really need policies to promote gender diversity in today’s age and time? It is important for the corporate sector and government to incentivise and promote gender inclusivity, eliminating gender-related barriers. We need strict guidelines to fix gender imbalances in our societies and economies.

8. Do Indian workplaces embrace women workers? What are the new facilities that the organisations are helping with?Yes, including us at ShopClues, there are many workplaces that are working towards giving an equal status to women and uplifting them. Hopefully, the entire country will start treading in that direction very soon. Facilities like daycare for kids, breastfeeding rooms, self-defence training etc., should not be a luxury but a basic provision that enables women to work efficiently while being content with the safety and wellness of the family.

9. What do millennial women want from the Indian workplaces?A level-playing field.

10. Is gender bias a myth when it comes to pay equity?It’s unfortunate, but there is a consensus that a gender pay gap does exist. But these are exciting times for working women. There is a huge movement globally to nip these issues. Times are changing.